Tourniquet



Patented July 22, 1952 Application December 15, 195l), S erial No.'290;951 ,l l i 3' Claims. (01. 12 8327) T-Es PATENT a QU MC: Y i,leasesmans-Nitrate,uj tsssgttmMas; j. a arts 85 Equipment Company,,.Chicago,.Ill., an l' corporation of Illinois Q The." present inventionrelates to a tourniquet deviceafor terminating or restricting the flow of blood from .a victim who has suffered a severe wound, particularlyone in which-an artery has beencut.

. :An object of the present invention is to provide I *to the limb of the victim.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tourniquet device which can be applied even-by an inexperienced person as a first aid measure to stop arterial bleeding, and can be applied by the use of only one hand. 7

A further description of the present invention will be .made in connection withthe attached sheetsof drawings inwhich: 1':

Figurel is an elevational view, in cross section of :the tourniquet device of the'present invention; Figure '2 is an end? elevational view of'the tourniquet device with-an end plateremoved to showthe drive mechanism employed; wFigure 3 is a cross-sectional viewtaken substantiallyalong the line III-IIIVof Figure 1;;;- 4 z Figure 4-is a'fragmentary view illustrating-the manner which the web forming the tourniquet is originally trained around the driving shaft; 1 Figure 5 is an end elevational viewof thecompleted assembly; 1

Figure 6 is a plan view of the assembly; Figure 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view illustrating the means for in the assembly; and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view illustrating the manner in which. the roller is journalled for rotation within the assembly.

As shown on the drawings? The tourniquet device illustrated in the drawings contains a generally U-shaped support member I 0 consisting of an arcuatefibase portion 1 l and a pair of upstanding integral side' walls- I2 and I3. The base portion l I is suitably shaped so that it may readily engage the limb or other body extremity in which the wound appears. will be understood that the tourniquet will be applied to the affected limb at a point between the wound and the heart of the victim in order that the pressure applied to the tourniquet will be efiective to modify the normal flow of blood from the heart to the wound.

Extending between the upstanding wall pormounting the worm wheel 29 could drive the worm 3|.

tionsxl2-and I3at eitherend of the arcuateshaped base portion" l rare-an anchoring-shaft l5 and a roller l 6 journalled for rotation therein.

Anend plate l! is -secured,--.to;the wall [2 by means of bolts IS-and I9 (Fig.-5-) which are received' in counterboresin theend'plate -11. As best illustrated in-Figure 8,=the bolt 49 is threaded along themajor portion-thereof. so that the end plate I! is securely held againsttheupstanding wall portionl2. "At theextreme end of the bolt l9, the same is formed with a'reduced diameter unthreadedportion 20 which is slidably inserted within an axial recess-2 I of the roller 16 thereby permitting free rotation of the roller l6 about the axis provided by the reduced diameterportion 20. A pair of axially.- aligned recesses 23 and 24 (Fig. 3) are provided in the wall portions l2 and I3 to journal a spindle 25 for rotation therein. The spindle 25 has a longitudinal slot 26 provided therein to receive the web of the tourniquet,. as willbe hereinafter explained. i

To drive the spindle 25, one end thereof is provided with a worm wheel 29, the latter being received between complementary recesses 21, and 28 provided in the end plate I1 and theupstanding wall portion l2 respectively.

The worm wheel 29 is driven by means of a worm 3| formed on a shaft 32 and received-be,- tween complementary recessesin the end plate l'l in-the upstanding wall portion l2; As best illustrated in Figure 7, a bearing sleeve- 34 is inserted into the complementary recesses formed in the end plate I! and the upstanding wall portion l2 to receive the end of the shaft 32, The bearing sleeve 34 has a beveled portion 35 which coacts with a set screw 36 inserted through a threaded aperture in the upstanding wall l2 to locate the sleeve 34' and-the shaft 32 within the assembly. Afknurled operating knob 31 is provided at one end of the shaft 32 to afford a convenient means for rotating the worm wheel 29 through its meshing with the worm 3|. The pitch, of the worm wheel 29, in combination with the worm 3i, affords an irreversible worm gear drive. In' other words, while the worm 3l'is free to rotate the worm wheel 29 in either direction, the pitch of the threads of the worm wheel 29 is below the critical value with which the Worm In this manner, the operating knob 31 can be turned to any predetermined position without the possibility of the worm wheel 29 driving the worm 3| in the opposite direction.

The'web portion of the tourniquet assembly consists of a flexible web belt 49 which may be composed of flexible cloth material such as heavy canvas or the like. One end of the web 40 is I trained around the anchoring shaft [5 and secured to another portion of the web 40 by means of stitching ll. 7

In operation, the web 40, while secured to one end of the'shaft i5, is formed into aloop and trained "about the injured limb' of the body at a region between the wound and the heart of the victim. The opposite end of the web 40 is i serted through the slot 26 of the spindle 25 and thereafter passes under the roller It as indicated. in Figure 4; In this position, the slack is taken up by tensioning the free end of the 'web llL After the slack has been'takenup, the operating knob 31 is turned to rotate the spindle 25 through the worm 31 in a counterclockwise di rection, as viewed in Figure 4. After a half turn of the spindle 25, the, web assumes the configuration illustrated in'Figure 1 wherein a dual thickness 42 of the web 4ll 'exis ts'between' the loop of the web to' be decreased :in; diameter.

until a suliic'ient pressure is exerted on the limb by-theweb III to stop or substantially decrease the flow'of blood from the wound. V

The tension on the'web can be accurately 'set by" careful manipulation of the operatingknob 31;. -As previously explained; the worm driveis irreversiblefso that-the worm wheel 291s in capable of rotating the worm3l and going out of adjustment.

To remove-tlie tourniquet; it is merely necessary'torotate the operating knob-31in the oppo v site direction until suffieient slack appears sothat the free end of thewebdfl mayb'e withdrawn from "engagement within the slot 25 ofthe -spim ale-25;

From-theforegoing 'it will be appreciated that I have herein provided a- 'compaet tourniquet assembly which is capable of being easily operated to supply a predetermined-amount of pr'essure t'o a tourniquet'web: In "addition, thepa rticiilar" drive means'pse d in the tourniquet device of the present invei'itidnprevents sli 'vp'age so'that accidental release of the tensiorron'the tourniquet web is" rendered i impossible. The tourniquet can be readi-ly operated by'tl'ie use of one hand; so that'thednjured personhimself "may apply" the tourniquet where he has on one arm.

f 'flt -will be understood that modifications "and variations 'may be effectedwithout' departing from-the scope of the novel concepts 'of the pres- 'ent invention;

' mounted 'on said support member, anchoring suffered a s evere woun'd means carried by said support member above said base surface, a flexible web having one end secured to said anchoring means, said web being sufficiently, long to extend below said base surface and form a loop below said base surface, said web having a portion passing through the slot in said. spindle, a roller, carriede by said support Lmember above said base surfaceifor guiding a portion of said web beyond that portion passing through said slot, and an irreversible worm drive means operatively connected to said spindle for adjusting thelength of web included between said anchoring means andsaid roller.

2.}A, tourniquetldevice comprising a support -mefnber, .saidcsupport member having an arcuate base surface adapted to engage a limb, a rotatable slotted spindle rotatably mounted on said support member, anchoring means carried by said support member above said base surface, a flexible web having one end secured to said anchoring "means, said web "being-sufficiently long to extend'bel'ow said base"surface andiformva loop below said base surface; said web having-" a portion passing through the slot-insaid spindle,

a roller carried by said support member-above said base surface for guidi'ng a portion of i-s'aid web beyond that portion-passing.through "said slot, said web being'reversed in direction -1n "pass-.

ing through said slotto provide a dual thickness of- Web between said'spindle and said roller, and an irreversible worm drive means operatively connectedto said spindle'for adjustingrthe-leng-th of web included between-said anchoringimeans and said roller. I

3. "A tourniquet device comprising a support member, said support memberha-ving .an arcuate base surface adapted to engage-a :limb, a rotatable slotted spindle rotatably mounted on said support member, anchoringsme'anscarried by said support-member above said base: surface, a flexible web having one end secured to. said anchoring means, said webbeing suiiiciently longito extend below saidbase surface and 'f-orm a loop below said base su-rfaceysaid-web having a portion' passing throughthe slot'in said s'pind le,' a rollercanried by said supportmember above said base surface for 'guiding a portion-*ofsaidWeb beybnd.

wheel-'carried'by said spindle, and a worm-operatively engaging said worm-wheel, the piteh on 7 said wor m wheel being insufficient to drive said worm whereby'the effective dimensions of-said loop are changed by rotation of said worm.

l 7 CASIMIR KRANC'.

' REFERENCES CITED '7 Thefollowingreferences are-of record in the file'ofjthis patent: v

UNITED STATES PATENTS,

7 2,468133 Sullivan "Apr." 26,'-1-949 

